For several minutes, I simply stood by the window. The city below felt endless. Cars moved like tiny streams of light far beneath the towering buildings, and people hurried along the sidewalks in patterns that looked almost choreographed from this height. I had never been this high above the ground before. In Willowbrook, the tallest building was barely three stories.Here, it felt as if I had woken up somewhere above the clouds. I pressed my hand lightly against the glass.
"So this is Aurelia City," I whispered.
Behind me, the quiet room felt almost too large. The polished floors reflected soft morning light, and the silence carried a strange elegance I wasn't used to. Back home, mornings were always full of sound. The rustling of pages in the bookstore. Julia moving around upstairs. The soft clatter of cups as my grandmother brewed tea in the kitchen.
Here, everything was calm.
Almost too calm.
I turned slowly and began walking through the penthouse. The living room alone was bigger than the entire lower floor of the bookstore. Tall shelves lined one wall, filled with books arranged with careful precision. A long gray sofa faced massive floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the city. Every detail felt expensive, yet nothing looked overly decorative.
It was simple.
Elegant.
Controlled.
Just like Sebastian.
A faint scent of coffee drifted through the air. I followed it toward the kitchen area and paused when I saw him standing near the counter. He was dressed in a dark shirt, sleeves rolled slightly at the forearms, one hand resting casually on the marble surface as he poured coffee into two cups. For a moment, he didn't notice me. And strangely, watching him like this felt… peaceful. Like the quiet moment before a storm.
Then he looked up. Our eyes met. A small smile touched his lips.
"You're awake."
I suddenly felt slightly embarrassed, as if I had been caught staring.
"I didn't mean to sleep so long."
"You traveled halfway across the country yesterday," he said calmly. "You're allowed to rest."
He slid one of the cups toward me.
I walked closer, accepting it carefully.
"Thank you."
For a moment we stood there in comfortable silence.
Then he asked, "How does the city look from up here?"
"Unreal."
His expression softened slightly.
"You'll get used to it."
"I'm not sure I want to," I admitted.
He raised an eyebrow.
"No?"
"In Willowbrook, everything feels slower. Simpler. Here… it feels like the world never stops moving."
"That's because it doesn't."
Before I could respond, his phone suddenly vibrated on the counter. Sebastian glanced at the screen briefly. His expression changed almost instantly. The relaxed calm from moments ago vanished, replaced by something sharper.
Focused.
Powerful.
He answered the call without hesitation.
"Yes."
There was a pause as someone spoke on the other end.
His voice lowered slightly.
"No delays. Move the meeting to eleven."
Another pause.
"And tell them I'll handle it personally."
He ended the call a moment later and placed the phone back on the counter.
I realized I had been watching him the entire time.
"That sounded important," I said carefully.
"It's work."
"What exactly do you do?"
For the first time since I met him, Sebastian seemed to hesitate. Then he leaned slightly against the counter.
"I run a company."
"That sounds like a very big company."
A faint smile appeared again.
"You could say that."
Before I could ask anything else, the quiet chime of the elevator sounded from across the penthouse.
I looked toward the hallway in surprise.
"Are we expecting someone?"
Sebastian didn't seem concerned.
"Yes."
A moment later, footsteps approached.
A tall man in a perfectly tailored suit entered the living area, holding a sleek tablet in one hand. He stopped immediately when he saw me.
His expression flickered briefly with surprise.
Then he turned to Sebastian.
"Good morning, Mr. McGrey."
His tone was respectful, almost formal.
"This is the schedule you asked for."
He handed the tablet to Sebastian before glancing at me again.
"Also the board members have been asking about tonight's dinner."
"I'll attend," Sebastian replied calmly.
The man nodded, but his eyes drifted back to me once more.
This time the curiosity in his gaze was impossible to miss.
Sebastian seemed to notice.
"Selena this Daniel. He manages the most of my schedule
The man straightened slightly.
Daniel gave a respectful nod.
But something about his expression suggested he had never heard my name before.
Sebastian continued.
"She'll be staying here for a while."
Daniel's eyebrows lifted almost imperceptibly.
"Understood."
But the look he gave me next carried a quiet question. One that made my stomach tighten slightly. Because for the first time since arriving in this city
I realized something.
Sebastian's world was much bigger than I had imagined. And I had just stepped right into the center of